Why they cycle more in Tanga than Dar es Salaam? A comparative study on challenges and Motivators to cycling in Tanzania Thabit Mikidadi Kitamu Master thesis in Culture, Environment and Sustainability Centre for Development and the Environment UNIVERSITY OF OSLO November 2016 II © Thabit Mikidadi Kitamu Universitetet i Oslo Senter for Utvikling og Miljø Master thesis in Culture, Environment and Sustainability. Why they cycle more in Tanga than Dar es Salaam? A comparative study on challenges and Motivators to cycling in Tanzania November, 2016. http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo III Abstract The world is facing new and challenging realities impacting our environment. Several efforts like the world climate conference try to reconcile nations and their interests to align on the common goal of reducing greenhouse emissions and limit the global temperature increase. The contribution of developing countries towards achieving this goal is necessary especially this time where emissions are shifting from the north towards the south, their contribution can be achieved through adoption of different strategies on national and international level. One of the strategies is through impacting the transportation sector, specifically urban commuting through bicycles. Bicycles have shown to be the most effective way of sustainable urban commuting because of being zero emitters and more efficient than walking. In many African cities especially South of the Sahara, cycling is underutilized as an efficient and cheap way of commuting even though cycling can bring many benefits like easy access to social services, employment as well as health and environmental benefits. This study is based in Tanzania, in cities of Dar es Salaam and Tanga. The inspiration of this study is drawn from the underutilization of cycling in Dar es Salaam compared to Tanga. This study focus to find why there is low bicycle use in Dar es Salaam and why there is high bicycle use in Tanga. The objectives of this study is to generate knowledge through theory to explain reasons behind differences in commuting choices in cities, that is what make people commute the way they do. Through the research questions: What are the factors behind the low bicycle use in Dar es Salaam and what are the factors behind high bicycle use in Tanga, this study found out that different aspects shape the way people commute in cities, even though these cities might have several similar characteristics. People base their commuting decisions through factors like safety and facilities, geographical features like weather, topography and city structure, availability of alternative transportation, history and cultural beliefs as well as influence of policy and advocacy. IV Through the application of Social Practice Theory, specifically the study of cycling as a practice. These factors were able to be grouped according to elements of practice i.e. materials, competencies and meanings. Social practice theory enabled this study to narrow down its analysis to a single factor ‘cycling’. Through the theory we see that these factors (elements of practice) are not independent, they depend and affect each other. Furthermore, these elements of practice show a pattern of influence, where a single element is so strong to influence a whole practice, in the case of this study: income was powerful enough to influence social norms and consequently enables the determination of the number of cyclist. Also, these factors together they carry a practice through an evolution, where we see practices evolve to become dominant and end up influencing other practices. This study concludes: the reason why Tanga has more cyclists is because, income of residents is still low and with the prevailing social norms, if income starts to rise, people are likely to abandon cycling. Dar es Salaam has few cyclists because the commuting lifestyle is dominated by public transportation which affects cycling negatively. The study recommends the integration of non-motorized transportation especially cycling into the public transit networks and creation of barriers to reduce the dominance of motorized transportation in cities accompanied by massive public campaigns to normalize cycling in cities. V Acknowledgements First I would like to thank God for my life and purpose, His invisible hand in my life is far beyond what I can comprehend. Second, the Norwegian government through Quota scheme scholarship program under Lånnekasen which financed my studies here in Norway for two and a half years. I am extending my special thanks to my supervisors Harold Langford Wilhite from the Center for Environment and Sustainability for his guidance, encouragement and honest feedback during the writing of this thesis, many thanks to him for his time and dedication to this work to make sure is of great quality. Thanks are also to my respondents for their time and acceptance to participate in this study especially all members of UWABA in Tanga and Dar es Salaam and all officers who were ready to leave everything and agreed to talk to me. Thanks to my family in Tanzania for their prayers, good wishes and support in these two years when I was far from home. Thanks to my study coordinators Anne-Line Sandaker and Gudrun Cecilie Eikemo Helland for being there all the time and show me their support, their guidance and inspiration was very valuable during my time at SUM. Thanks to my friend here in Norway, for their readiness to support me during difficult times, special thanks to Mr. Mbezi Banjamin for being attentive to my thesis and give me a valuable guidance, he dedicated his time to ensure I succeed just like him. And lastly many thanks to the academic family of SUM, from my class mates to teachers and support staff, the environment they gave me was enough to make me confident to pursue my studies in harmony. And for everyone out there, who wished me all the best, thank you. VI VII Table of contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................... IV Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... VI Table of contents ........................................................................................................ VIII List of figures .................................................................................................................. X Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 2 1.1 The climate change discourse and cycling. ..................................................... 2 1.2 Africa, economic growth and the middle class; a challenge to cycling? ...... 3 1.3 Background of the problem and Rationale .................................................... 4 1.4 Research question. ............................................................................................ 8 2 Methodology. ......................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Choice of the method. ..................................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Research Design ....................................................................................... 11 2.2 Data Collection ................................................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Informants ................................................................................................ 14 2.2.2 Field work ................................................................................................ 17 2.2.3 Interviews ................................................................................................. 18 2.2.4 Observations ............................................................................................ 20 2.2.5 Document reviews ................................................................................... 21 2.2.6 Ethical considerations ............................................................................. 22 3 Literature review and Theoretical framework ................................................... 23 3.1 Literature of cycling ....................................................................................... 23 3.1.1 Perceptions ............................................................................................... 24 3.1.2 Facilities and promotion in developed countries .................................. 24 3.1.3 Cycling in Africa ...................................................................................... 25 3.1.4 Women and cycling ................................................................................. 27 3.2 Theory .............................................................................................................. 29 3.2.1 Conventional theories on bicycle commuting ....................................... 30 VIII 3.2.2 The inquiry of Social Practice Theory. ................................................. 31 3.2.3 Cycling as a social practice .................................................................... 33 3.2.4 Commuting as a competitive practice ................................................... 34 4 Findings, Analysis and Discussion. .....................................................................